2.5.1999 BEFORE A TIGRARY OF CONGRESS Foreign Agricultural Service AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD HEARINGS SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE SECOND SESSION JOE SKEEN, New Mexico, Chairman RICHARD J. DURBIN, Illinois JAMES T. WALSH, New York MARCY KAPTUR, Ohio JAY DICKEY, Arkansas RAY THORNTON, Arkansas NITA M. LOWEY, New York PART 5 Page 1 30 Farm Service Agency 147 Natural Resources Conservation Service 533 Printed for the use of the Committee on Appropriations AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS FOR 1997 HEARINGS BEFORE A SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION SUBCOMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES JOE SKEEN, New Mexico, Chairman RICHARD J. DURBIN, Illinois MARCY KAPTUR, Ohio RAY THORNTON, Arkansas NITA M. LOWEY, New York TIMOTHY K. SANDERS, CAROL MURPHY, and JOHN J. ZIOLKOWSKI, Staff Assistants Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Page 1 COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS BOB LIVINGSTON, Louisiana, Chairman JOSEPH M. MCDADE, Pennsylvania DAVID R. OBEY, Wisconsin JOHN T. MYERS, Indiana SIDNEY R. YATES, Illinois C. W. BILL YOUNG, Florida LOUIS STOKES, Ohio RALPH REGULA, Ohio TOM BEVILL, Alabama JERRY LEWIS, California JOHN P. MURTHA, Pennsylvania JOHN EDWARD PORTER, Illinois CHARLES WILSON, Texas HAROLD ROGERS, Kentucky NORMAN D. DICKS, Washington JOE SKEEN, New Mexico MARTIN OLAV SABO, Minnesota FRANK R. WOLF, Virginia JULIAN C. DIXON, California TOM DELAY, Texas VIC FAZIO, California JIM KOLBE, Arizona W. G. (BILL) HEFNER, North Carolina BARBARA F. VUCANOVICH, Nevada STENY H. HOYER, Maryland JIM LIGHTFOOT, Iowa RICHARD J. DURBIN, Illinois RON PACKARD, California RONALD D. COLEMAN, Texas SONNY CALLAHAN, Alabama ALAN B. MOLLOHAN, West Virginia JAMES T. WALSH, New York JIM CHAPMAN, Texas CHARLES H. TAYLOR, North Carolina MARCY KAPTUR, Ohio DAVID L. HOBSON, Ohio DAVID E. SKAGGS, Colorado ERNEST J. ISTOOK, JR., Oklahoma NANCY PELOSI, California HENRY BONILLA, Texas PETER J. VISCLOSKY, Indiana JOE KNOLLENBERG, Michigan THOMAS M. FOGLIETTA, Pennsylvania DAN MILLER, Florida ESTEBAN EDWARD TORRES, California JAY DICKEY, Arkansas NITA M. LOWEY, New York JACK KINGSTON, Georgia RAY THORNTON, Arkansas JOSÉ E. SERRANO, New York JAMES W. DYER, Clerk and Staff Director (IT) Cibaliooo AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS FOR 1997 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 1996. WITNESSES TURAL SERVICES GRANT B. BUNTROCK, ADMINISTRATOR, FARM SERVICE AGENCY AUGUST SCHUMACHER, JR., ADMINISTRATOR, FOREIGN AGRICUL TURAL SERVICE LOU ANNE KLING, DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR FOR FARM CREDIT PRO GRAMS, FARM SERVICE AGENCY KENNETH D. ACKERMAN, DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR FOR RISK MAN AGEMENT, FARM SERVICE AGENCY DAVID C. HALL, DIRECTOR, BUDGET DIVISION, FARM SERVICE AGEN CY TIMOTHY J. GALVIN, ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR, FOREIGN AGRI CULTURAL SERVICE CHRISTOPHER E. GOLDTHWAIT, GENERAL SALES MANAGER HAL WYNNE, CHIEF, INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS BRANCH, BUDGET DIVISION, FARM SERVICE AGENCY Mr. SKEEN. I apologize for not having more members here today. Everybody is in conference. They are going to conference. They are out of conference. There is a lot going on. Secretary Moos, I want to welcome you here today. I think you represent the biggest agency that will come before us, the Farm Service Agency. You also have the Foreign Agricultural Service. We all appreciate the fine work that they do. Agriculture is our biggest-balance of trade. I will turn this over to you, Mr. Secretary, to make your statement and then we will have some questions for you. INTRODUCTION OF WITNESSES Secretary Moos. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I am pleased, as are as my colleagues here, to appear before you this afternoon to discuss our 1997 budget and program proposals. I am accompanied today by a number of agency officials whom I would like to introduce at this time. I will start on my left and to your right with Gus Schumacher, Administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service. Of course you |